Our sources indicate that Will Tye, a tight end prospect from Connecticut's prestigious Salisbury School will soon commit to the Florida State Seminoles.  He is currently on his official visit in Tallahassee.  Tharinger.com reported around noon that he pulled the trigger. 

[Update: 01/16/10 3:48 PM EST ] Noleinsider.com is now also reporting that Tye has committed and they have confirmation from Tye himself:

Will Tye has informed NoleInsider that he has committed to the FSU coaching staff this morning. Tye had this to say this morning regarding questions of his commitment.. "Yes it's true, I committed to Florida state, I am a Nole."

  As of 3:48 Eastern, this is a done deal.

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 230 lbs
40-YD: 4.6
Vert: 36"
Rivals Rating 3* (5.7)
Other Offers: Miami, NC State. Pursued by LSU.
Academics: Attended the prestigious Salisbury Prep School this year. Some concern, but he went to Salisbury to improve his grades and his profile as a prospect.

Tye is very tight with Florida State offensive coordinator/ tight ends coach/ recruiting coordinator James Coley, a strong candidate for the Rivals.com recruiter of the year award.  Per his twitter updates, Coley flew to Connecticut at least two times, and while the coach did not name the prospects (NCAA rule), FSU has only offered two prospects in Connecticut and both attend Salisbury.  The Salisbury School is also home to defensive lineman Bjoern Werner, Tye's teammate and Florida State target.  Tye apparently has a great time on his visit.  Here is some film on Tye.

The Catch he makes at 4:18 is great. Really, the whole sequence following that catch is tremendous.  At 6:23 he does a nice job to jab step the corner before coming for the slant.  Tye is a similar athlete to another familiar Connecticut tight end, UF's Aaron Hernandez.  He also reminds us of former Missouri tight end Martin Rucker.   Martellus Bennet, formerly of Texas A&M and now with the Dallas Cowboys is another good comparison.  Tye looks like he has the frame to add 20-30 lbs in time.

With his size and quickness, Tye is an immediate match-up problem for college defenses.  Florida State can "flex" him out wide if they choose.  Will Tye is already close to being as good as Beau Reliford, Florida State's current tight end. Beau is just never going to be a great ball catcher.  Will Tye wants and attacks the ball.  He plays against poor competition, but his quarterback is also terrible and he had to adjust to a lot of bad throws.  Tye also impressed in the Texas High School All-Star Event in which he recently participated.  He repeatedly finds a way to come down with the ball. 

Tye will likely never be a good in-line blocker, given his abilities.  He's very "high-waisted" (long legs short torso), which is great for running but not so much for in-line blocking.  Still, after watching his film, it is difficult if not impossible to imagine that there are 18 better tight end prospects than Will Tye.

Tye's rating is hurt by the poor competition against which he plays.  Fair enough, but after he showed well in the Texas high school all-star game, he should have been bumped up to a 4*.  The rating services dropped the ball on Tye.

The TomahawkNation.com recruiting map has been updated to reflect the commitment.

Make sure to check the TomahawkNation.com Recruiting Board to stay current with all the 'Nole's current targets!